One More Crime of the Capitalists

Published:PravdaNo. 61, June 1 (May 19), 1917.

      Published according to the text inPravda.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1964,

      Moscow,Volume 24,

      pages441-442.Translated:Isaacs BernardTranscription\Markup:B. BagginsandD. WaltersPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      1999

      (2005).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.

Thereport made in Petrograd recently by a delegation of Donets
      workers exposed the Donets coal mine owners, who are criminallydisruptingand stopping production, and (for the sake
      of safeguarding their “sacred” right to enormous profits) are
      condemning the workers to unemployment, the country to
      starvation, and industry to a crisis through a coal shortage.

Todaywe have received a telegram reporting similar outrageous
      and criminal conduct on the part of the coal mine owners at the
      other end of Russia. Here is the text of the telegram sent to
      the Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies and to three
      cabinet ministers (with our corrections in parenthesis):

“OnApril 29 the (Soviet) of Soldiers’ Deputies and the Union of
      Employees at Michelson’s Sudzhensk coal mines removed from
      office the nine-man administration owing to the criminally
      provocative manner in which they ran the business, which
      threatened to lead to a shutdown. The management has been placed
      (in) the hands of a Council of Engineers—.a technical board
      directly controlled by the Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’
      Deputies. A committee from the executive bodies in Tomsk has
      investigated and approved our decision.“Ina telegram dated May 11 Michelson refused to pay the
      workers. We demand full restoration. Restoration
impossible.[1]The mines are facing anarchy, the
      workers—disaster. Take urgent steps to send half a million
      rubles, decide the fate of the mines, confiscate them. The mines
      are working for national defence, daily output is 135,000
      poods. A stoppage may affect railway traffic and (operation of
      the) factories. So far work is normal. Wages for March and April
      not paid in full. Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies, and
      Union of Employees.”

“OnApril 29 the (Soviet) of Soldiers’ Deputies and the Union of
      Employees at Michelson’s Sudzhensk coal mines removed from
      office the nine-man administration owing to the criminally
      provocative manner in which they ran the business, which
      threatened to lead to a shutdown. The management has been placed
      (in) the hands of a Council of Engineers—.a technical board
      directly controlled by the Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’
      Deputies. A committee from the executive bodies in Tomsk has
      investigated and approved our decision.

“Ina telegram dated May 11 Michelson refused to pay the
      workers. We demand full restoration. Restoration
impossible.[1]The mines are facing anarchy, the
      workers—disaster. Take urgent steps to send half a million
      rubles, decide the fate of the mines, confiscate them. The mines
      are working for national defence, daily output is 135,000
      poods. A stoppage may affect railway traffic and (operation of
      the) factories. So far work is normal. Wages for March and April
      not paid in full. Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies, and
      Union of Employees.”

Nomore fitting expression than that used by the Soviet and the
      Employees’ Union in their telegram could be found,namely, that
      the capitalists are running the business in a “criminally
      provocative manner”.

Allthe members of the Provisional Government, the so-called
      socialist ministers included, will be accomplices in this crime
      if they continue to “grapple” with the impending debacle by
      means of resolutions, commissions, conferences with employers,
      if they continue “to waste words where they should use their
      power” (against the capitalists).

[1]Themeaning is not clear. Does it mean that in case of a
stoppage it will be difficult and almost impossible to get the
mines restarted?
—Lenin